Happiness Journey

Happiness Journey starts in

Speakers

Tina McGuff

Tina McGuff is the author of “Seconds To Snap,” a critically acclaimed book that has allowed her to shed light on the fundamental significance of mental health maintenance, emotional intelligence and self-esteem. Meeting thousands of young people along the way with the message of positivity and happiness is the ultimate goal.

The book is also being screenwritten by Brenda Chapman, the creator of Brave, to be ready for the big screen by end of 2018. It also emphasises on the importance of mental health maintenance with the same regard as oral health maintenance and what may happen if we don’t look after them. It also elaborates on how being emotionally intelligent and self-aware can help you become a person who knows who they are, highlighting the importance of self-esteem in being a happy and positive person.

Hanan Al Sammak

Hanan is an author, professional speaker, and educator recognized as one of the most influential personalities in the UAE. A former marketing executive, Hanan had changed her lifestyle and career by becoming a full-time entrepreneur, quitting her well-paid government job to co-found a training and consultancy foundation (www.heartmasters.ae) with her mother, who happens to be an inspirational speaker, author, and her number one supporter. The foundation is called Heart Masters since the heart is Hanan's strongest source for inspiration and positive change. Since then, she had been passionate about motivating people, sharing the latest research findings in the field of positive psychology. In turn, she had helped and inspired many lives through her speaking engagements and tailored positivity and well-being courses, which allow participants to develop their positive thinking skills and design the life they want. Hanan is currently participating in a segment within a program called "Minutes of Positivity" on Noor Dubai radio.

Jacqueline Way and Nic Way

Jacqueline Way is the Founder of 365give. She has dedicated herself to social good projects both personally and professionally for over two decades, but it was Motherhood that inspired her to make a world of difference. Jacqueline is the mother of three boys. An act of service a day. Jacqueline Way isn't a blogger. She's not even a writer. She is an adoptive mother of two boys who works from home as a special events fundraiser. She and her husband, kids, and two chocolate labs live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada near a beach. She felt richly blessed and had a strong desire to help others, but with little time or extra money. So she started 365Give.ca, a site where she committed to doing one act of service every day for a year, and asked others to help her by providing ideas and taking the commitment as well.

How do we get to happy? Jacqueline Way, Founder of www.365give.ca shares a secret to happiness so simple a 3 – year old can do it. Jacqueline is a mother of three boys and social good activist dedicated to changing the world 1 give, 1 day at a time. You will learn through her powerful story how your body is hard-wired for giving. Researchers from all over the world have been studying the science and physiological of giving for decades. They’ve discovered giving makes you happy, makes you high, is our bodies natural “Fountain of Youth” and reduces stress. Her inspirational journey with her son and thousands of children will inspire you start a daily giving habit that will make you happy and change the world.

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa

FounderThe Soor Center for Professional Therapy and Assessment

Dr. Naif is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, clinical psychologist, and clinical hypnotherapist who is the founder of The Soor Center for Professional Therapy and Assessment. A licensed psychologist in the State of New York, Dubai, and Kuwait, Dr. Naif is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at Kuwait University's Faculty of Medicine, where he has been teaching clinical psychology, communication skills creative writing, and cognitive behavioral therapy since 2005. He is also known as the creator of THE 99, the first group of comic superheroes born of an Islamic archetype. THE 99 has received positive attention from the world's media. Forbes named THE 99 as one of the top 20 trends sweeping the globe and President Barack Obama praised Dr. Naif and THE 99 as, perhaps, the most innovative of the thousands of new entrepreneurs viewed by his Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. A highly-acclaimed speaker in topics ranging from mental health to entrepreneurship, Dr. Naif conducts regular workshops in creative problem solving, attention management, stress management, conflict resolution, and anger management.

Danny McCubbin

As a digital and social media expert, mentor, and entrepreneur, Danny has dedicated 14 years to promoting, establishing, and growing food-focused social enterprises with the belief that food has the power to transform lives. Originally from Australia, Danny grew up with his grandparents, surrounded by good food and a strong sense of community, both of which are at the core of his work; using food to bring people together, and in so doing, helping to change their lives and the planet for the better.

In 2003, Danny began his long career with chef and campaigner, Jamie Oliver, working across his digital, social media, and marketing platforms, and later as Jamie's PA, delivering on major campaigns. Danny has dedicated his career to spreading Jamie's message of using food as a force for good through fundraising, hosting supper clubs, promoting community projects, and connecting the dots between them all, creating a worldwide network of both small and large social enterprises, sharing ideas and information, and consulting on various food-focused projects.

In his current role as Project Manager for Jamie's Food Foundation, Danny leads events and workshops to encourage young people to enter the hospitality industry, as well as continuing his work as mentor and facilitator. Danny has built an engaged social media following and runs free social media workshops and consultations for charities, NGOs, and community-based projects to help and encourage them spread their message. He writes for jamieoliver.com, the Huffington Post, and his own blog, thedannymccubbin.com.

Abdulla Moosa

Amal Murad

Parkour Coach

Amal's career as a parkour coach started at the age of 22, when she decided to try the sport at her cousin's calisthenics gym, Gravity DXB. 'Parkour' stems from the French word "parcours," meaning "the way through" or "the path," which Amal had discovered during a year of intensive training. Her skills were noted by her cousin, Yousuf Al Gurg, who helped her achieve her goal of becoming the first Emirati all-ladies parkour trainer. Prior to her achievement, there were no classes offered for women during that time in the region. Aside from her day job as a graphic designer, Amal used to spend her nights and weekends teaching women and children's classes. Her classes demonstrate the fundamentals of the freestyle sport that involve controlling movement, running, climbing, flipping, and vaulting over obstacles. To Amal, parkour is a form of expression and the way one flows through movement. Apart from the physical aspect, she helps her students build confidence to overcome their fears. Her aim is to inspire more people to discover what their minds and bodies are capable of, and how much they can achieve when they give their 100%.

Marita Harold

Marita is a change orientated professional with over 20 years of people management and development experience within the UAE. Throughout her contribution to the corporate world she nurtured her enthusiasm for fitness and health. As a natural progression of herinterests in training, communication, fitness and wellness she now work with business leaders to enable them to incorporate the essentials of wellness into their work life.

Hanus Samro

By the age of 23, Hanus was already an author, entrepreneur, and the youngest member in the history of the Faroese parliament. Adding to his broad range of achievements is his exceptional resilience as he had battled a rare muscular disease since the age of 15, being forced to leave behind his sports ambitions.

H.E. Dr. Akima Umezawa

H.E. Dr. Akima started his term as the Consul-General of Japan in Dubai in 2017. He joined Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1991, and in 2009, he was appointed as the Head of Chancery to the Embassy of Japan in Singapore. Upon returning to MOFA in 2011, he served as the Director of Fisheries Division and the Cabinet Counsellor to the Ocean Policy Cabinet Secretariat, and in 2013 he was an advisor to the Representative of the Government of Japan to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He also served an international organization, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, as the Deputy Secretary-General from 2015 to 2017. H.E. Dr. Akima received a Master of Arts in International Relations (1995) and a Master of Science in Management of Information Systems (1996) from the University of Leeds, England, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Ocean Management (1991) from the University of Tokyo. H.E. Dr Akima had researched and taught in university, as well as get featured in major academic publications.

Yousuf Al Gurg is an Emirati entrepreneur in the field of fitness. He graduated from American University of Dubai with a degree in architecture. Having found his passion in sports, as he spent years as a professional football player with Al Wasl SC, he founded Gravity Calisthenics Gym in May 2015. The gym soon found itself to become one of the most prominent calisthenics and movement academies in the world. This later led to Yousef and his partner Saleh becoming co-owners and board members of the World Calisthenics Organization, further feeding into the growth of the Calisthenics movement in the MENA region by hosting Battle of the Bars Dubai.

Today, the gym forms a path for enthusiasts of calisthenics, parkour, and overall movement - revolutionizing the fitness industry as a whole, by bringing light to the abilities of the human body and creating the community around it. As international interest grew, Gravity has launched a franchise program to continuously spread the reach on a global scale. Alongside his work, Yousuf is also passionate about the outdoors, having summited Aconcagua (6,900m), one of the 7 summits of the world, in 2014. Having taken on this challenge, Yousuf aimed to prove to himself and to the people around him that everything is possible by taking it one step at a time. The success of Gravity attracted the attention of the Emirates Youth Council, which awarded it the "Done By Youth" seal. Gravity was also showcased at the Entrepreneur ME Enterprise Agility Awards as Yousuf was awarded the title of Emerging Emirati Entrepreneur for 2017.

Shaima Aleidi

Shaymaa is the director of the Association of Volunteer Campaigns - "I Can" campaign. She is the first Arab to establish a global website for stem cells donations for the benefit of children with cancer around the world and the mastermind behind the first project to donate wigs for children with cancer.

Hisham Al Thahabi

Hisham is the winner of the Arab Hope Makers Award 2017 as well as the Father of the Year Award 2015. He is head of the Iraqi House of Creativity Foundation, which was established in 2004 and aims to help homeless children and orphans. Hisham holds bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology.

Matthieu Ricard

Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk who has lived in the Himalayan region for the last fourty-five years. Born in France in 1946, as the son of philosopher Jean-François Revel and artist Yahne Le Toumelin. He earned a Ph.D. in cell genetics at the Pasteur Institute under Nobel Laureate Francois Jacob. He traveled to the Himalayas in 1967 and studied with some of the greatest masters of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the author of numerous international bestsellers, including "The Monk and the Philosopher," a dialogue with his father, Jean-François Revel, translated in 23 languages;"The Quantum and the Lotus," a dialogue with the astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan; and "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill." For five decades, Ricard has been photographing the landscapes and the people of the Himalayans, publishing a dozen photo-books, including "Buddhist Himalayas," "Motionless Journey: From a Hermitage in the Himalayas and Bhutan," and "Land of Serenity."

For the last 20 years, Ricard has been an active participant in scientific research on the effects of mind training and meditation on the brain, working in conjunction with the Mind and Life Institute. Furthermore, he has been the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama since 1989. He lives at Shechen Monastery in Nepal, and he donates all proceeds from his books and conferences, as well as much of his time, to 200 humanitarian projects in Nepal, India, and Tibet.

Farah Dhahabi

Clinical Social WorkerLCSW (US)

Farah is a US-trained psychologist with extensive experience working with individuals suffering from grief and loss, trauma, illness adjustment, disability, caregiver burnout, and major depression. She was driven to become a clinical social counsellor due to her fascination with human experiences of thought and emotion. During her studies, Farah worked with juvenile delinquent girls, providing individual and group treatment for self-esteem and self-harming issues. She spent time researching the effects of social exclusion and depression amongst Muslim adults. She also worked in collaboration with national healthcare quality improvement organizations in the US towards implementing programs that meet the needs of individuals with psychiatric problems; this has included educating other healthcare professionals on best practices surrounding clinical services. Farah believes that it takes great strength to seek support for any psychological or emotional issue, and has tremendous respect for anyone who has the strength to do so.

Fahad Abdullah Haikal

Fahad is a lecturer in positivity, happiness, and change management as well as a pioneer in new media and the best-selling author of "My Life Has Taught Me." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in media and public relations, and currently works as a lieutenant in the office the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Fahad has contributed significantly in providing and supporting positive content, inculcating values, good morals, and other content about human development and self-improvement and actualization on social media and new media more broadly. He has lectured in various governmental and private entities, including federal ministries in the UAE, and represented the UAE in major international humanitarian forums.

Dr. Khalifa Ali AlSuwaidi

With a specialization in curriculums and instruction, Dr. Khalifa joined the United Arab Emirates University in 1994, where he held a number of teaching and administrative positions. He worked as a Dean of the University General Requirements Unit, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education, and other posts. He is the recipient of the Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Award for Academic Excellence (UAE), Excellence Award for University and Community Service (1996-1997), and Best UAE National Teacher Project Award (2004), among others. He has published research papers in leading academic journals and authored more than 5 books. He is currently a presenter and script writer at Abu Dhabi TV.

Dr. Khalifa holds bachelor's degrees in education and psychology from United Arab Emirates University, a master's degree in education-curriculum and instruction from the George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in education-curriculum and instruction from University of Southern California.

Aisha Saeed Hareb

Aisha is a social entrepreneur with a focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy. With 8 years of experience in this field, she was recognized as a UAE Pioneer in 2017 as the founder of the region's first e-store focused on philanthropy. Aisha currently serves as Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at the Community Development Authority of Dubai. Aisha also coordinates the National Service Youth Council and is a member of the Dubai Council. Aisha is also a student at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University, completing a master's degree in innovation and change management. In 2014, she joined UAE's national service program and graduated as a reserved soldier; this was also the year Aisha was given the Social Entrepreneur Award by the Arab Award Program. In 2012, she established her first social enterprise, Social Bandage, to manage CSR projects within the private sector. She recently created a smart corporate social responsibility portal, which was part of the Arab Innovation Summit.

Carlos Piera Sierra

Carlos Piera Serra is the founder, CEO, and Global Happiness Navigator for Delivering Happiness Spain. He joined the movement as a VHP [Very Happy Person] with a deep passion for company culture and happiness at work. Today he is a coach, speaker, and community leader in Europe. He is proud to have discovered that creating happiness is his higher purpose and is thrilled to have the opportunity to share that passion through his life's work. Carlos decided to dedicate his life to making people happy after one life-changing trip, sailing across the Atlantic with a few close friends and family members. Throughout the journey, he took time to learn about himself by reading great books, enjoying meaningful conversations, and simply staring at the brilliance of the stars. When this trip was over, he took his mission to India, where he felt happiness could make the most impact and combined volunteer work with human resource consulting. This work led him to more deeply consider what determined happiness from one person to another, and how could he make a difference.

Dr. Amar Behbehani

Dr. Amar Behbehani considers herself a life scientist who has a passion of improving the quality of life through education, innovation, creativity,and compassion. She is an Assistant Professor of Innovation & Design Sciences in the College of Architecture, Kuwait University. She is also the Director of the Student Counseling and Guidance at the college. She is the founder of Wellness Kuwait program that targets the innovation of human wellbeing in Kuwait. Dr. Amar is also the rst certi ed Art Psychotherapist in Kuwait. She is also a senior clinical psychologist and member of the Middle East Psychological Association. She is an innovation and education consultant and educator to numerous corporate and non-pro t organizations in Kuwait. She is President Elect, board member, and co-founder of the Soroptimist International Kuwait Society for Societal Development. Dr. Amar earned a Master of Science in Art Psychotherapy along with a Master of Fine Art in Design. Her PhD in Art Psychotherapy & Arts Education on Wellbeing & Human-Centered Design.

Anne-Marie Evans

Anne-Marie is a certified meditation teacher with an accredited level 3 teaching diploma from the British School of Meditation in the UK. She has a specialist interest in eastern and western philosophy, consciousness studies and neuroscience. She holds a a post graduate diploma in transpersonal psychology and consciousness studies and is working towards an MSc in this field.

Andreea Zoia

Andreea is a passionate presenter, public speaker, and speech coach. She has become a global citizen living and studying in London, Los Angeles, and Dubai. For over 6 years, Andreea Zoia has dedicated her career and life to mastering the art of communication. She delivers her expertise as a Public Speaker, Public Speaking Coach, and Master of Ceremony in Dubai. Besides her MC and presenting activity, Andreea delivers hands-on transformational workshops and private coaching. Her mission is to enable people's "voice of success." Her philosophy behind the success of her clientele is simple: "Let your voice guide your confidence from inside yourself and out into the world; you will be heard, desired, and respected." Andreea Zoia is a public speaker, TV Presenter, and confidence coach. She is often chosen to be the face as well as the voice of international brands. Whilst a public figure, Andreea is on a mission to uplift others’ confidence and communication skills through her public speaking workshops and speaking engagements. She is on a mission to help others build their confidence from A to Z, enabling them to maximize their personal and professional relationships.

Andreaa began her career on the catwalk, working as a fashion model for print, television, and live shows. That competitive world was a crash course in the power of presentation and communication. She has found her experiences with learning to convey intention through attitude and speech, to be a valuable asset in her work as a coach and consultant.